Documenting Haiti’s Gang War

Focus Group Description

Covering a city shaped by prolonged violence demands more than technical skill. So this focus group opens a direct discussion on what it takes to work inside Haiti’s gang controlled capital. This discussion spans many years, not just moments of crisis. The conversation draws on long term experience and focuses on how sustained presence changes both access and understanding.

First, we will look at risk on the ground. This includes how to move through neighbourhoods, read shifting situations, and make decisions that protect both yourself and the people you photograph. Next, we will discuss trust. Building reliable local relationships takes time, consistency, and respect. Therefore, those connections often determine whether work is even possible. Then we will turn to the emotional and ethical weight of long term conflict coverage. This includes how photographers stay clear headed while documenting ongoing trauma.

Throughout the session, participants can ask direct questions and raise real concerns. In doing so, the discussion stays practical and grounded, rather than theoretical.

About the Mentor

Giles Clarke is a UK born photojournalist who documents current and post conflict global issues. Since 2007, he has worked in more than eighty countries. He began with reporting on the long term consequences of the Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal. For over twelve years, he has returned repeatedly to Port au Prince. This has allowed him to build one of the most sustained photographic records of Haiti’s gang war. In 2024, the Festival of Ethical Photography in Italy awarded him the World Report Award Master Award for this body of work.

Format
This is a 40 minute interactive roundtable discussion. Giles will open with key experiences from the field. Then he will guide a participant led conversation focused on risk, ethics, and long term storytelling.